1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and method for controlling menu display of a microwave oven, and more particularly, to a device and method for controlling menu display of a microwave oven, wherein the display of the menus selected by a user is controlled so that sequential display processes of the selected menus can be easily confirmed in one screen.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A microwave oven is a cooking machine for cooking foodstuffs by using a heater and/or a magnetron as a heating source. Since the microwave oven performs cooking of the foodstuffs in a short time, it is effective in view of time required for cooking the foodstuffs, nutritive value of the cooked foodstuffs, energy efficiency, and the like. Thus, the microwave oven has been widely utilized more and more.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the microwave oven, a control panel 7 used for selecting various kinds of cooking menus and controlling the cooking is provided on a front portion thereof Further, the microwave oven is provided with a cooking chamber 1 in a cavity 5 where the foodstuffs are cooked. An electric equipment installation chamber is formed beside the cooking chamber 1.
Various kinds of electric equipment for constituting the microwave oven, particularly such as the magnetron for generating microwave, a cooling fan, and the like, are installed within the electric equipment installation chamber. On the front portion of the electric equipment installation chamber is installed the control panel 7 which comprises buttons 9 used for selecting various functions of the microwave oven and a display unit 11 used for displaying various information signals.
The display unit 11 is used for performing sequential display of the selected menus, display of current cooking status, and the like. Further, a control circuit board (not shown), which is used for inputting signals selected through the buttons 9 and outputting signals to be displayed onto the display unit 11, is installed at a rear side of the control panel 7.
Hereinafter, an operation of controlling the menu display in the conventional microwave oven will be explained.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control section of the conventional microwave oven used for controlling the menu display of the microwave oven. The control section is installed in the control circuit board. As shown in the figure, the control section of the conventional microwave oven comprises a microcomputer 13 for performing various kinds of controls for and operations of the microwave oven, a power circuit 15 for supplying power to the microcomputer 13, and an oscillation circuit 17 for supplying reference clock pulses used when the microcomputer 13 executes various programs installed in the microcomputer.
In the microcomputer 13 are stored cooking algorithms for performing the cooking corresponding to various menus of the microwave oven, display algorithms for displaying sequences of the menus of the microwave oven, and various data required for controlling the microwave oven. In particular, display control data used for displaying various menus onto the display unit 11 according to a sequence shown in FIG. 3 are stored in the microcomputer 13 of the conventional microwave oven.
In addition, the control section of the microwave oven further comprises a key input circuit 23 which includes the buttons 9 on the control panel 7 and allows signals to be inputted when a user has selected the buttons 9 provided on the control panel 7 of the microwave oven, and the display unit 11 for notifying the user to confirm contents inputted through the key input circuit 23 and an operating state of the microwave oven. The display unit 11 is the same one as is provided in the control panel 7.
Furthermore, a relay control unit 19 controls various driven devices (for example, the magnetron, the cooling fan, the heater, an oven lamp, and the like) provided in the microwave oven.
The menu display in the conventional microwave oven constructed as such is carried out through the following operations.
FIG. 3 shows an operating procedure according to the menu display of the conventional microwave oven.
First, when the electric power is supplied to the microwave oven, a predetermined initial screen is displayed onto the display unit 11 under the control of the microcomputer 13. At this time, the user selects a predetermined button through the key input circuit 23 so that a main screen, which is used for selecting the menus of the microwave oven and corresponds to a first stage of FIG. 3, is displayed onto the display unit 11.
When the user has selected a button through the key input circuit 23, a predetermined signal is inputted into the microcomputer 13 according to the selected button. The microcomputer 13 decodes the inputted signal, and accordingly, causes the predetermined main screen to be displayed onto the display unit 11. By performing the above processes, the state shown in the first stage of FIG. 3 is displayed onto the display unit 11.
Next, the user selects a desired cooking menu on the main screen. A “manual cooking” menu selected by the user is highlighted darkly as compared with the other cooking menus so as to inform the user that the “manual cooking” menu has been selected in the first stage of FIG. 3. When the “manual cooking” menu is selected, the microcomputer 13 retrieves submenus of the selected “manual cooking” menu from data stored therein and causes the submenus to be displayed onto the display unit 11 after recognizing that the “manual cooking” menu has been selected. A display state at this stage is shown at a second stage of FIG. 3.
Then, the user selects another desired cooking menu again on a screen displayed at the second stage of FIG. 3. A “strong operation” menu selected by the user is highlighted darkly as compared with the other cooking menus so as to inform the user that the “strong operation” menu has been selected in the second stage of FIG. 3. When the “strong operation” menu is selected, the microcomputer 13 retrieves submenus of the selected “strong operation” menu from data stored therein and causes the submenus to be displayed onto the display unit 11 after recognizing that the “strong operation” menu has been selected. A display state at this stage is shown at a third stage of FIG. 3.
Thereafter, if a timer setting screen is displayed as the next stage, the user sets a cooking period of time. If the period setting process has been completed, all the processes related to the menu selection are finished and an information corresponding to the current cooking state is displayed onto the display unit 11 as shown in a fourth stage of FIG. 3.
According to the method of controlling the menu display in the conventional microwave oven, when selecting and setting the submenus of the cooking menus of the microwave oven, a previous display screen disappears from the display unit 11 and only a screen corresponding to a currently selected menu is displayed thereon. That is, whenever the user sequentially selects submenus of any arbitrary cooking menus in the microwave oven, a screen for previous selection disappears and only a screen corresponding to a currently selected stage of the menu is displayed.
Thus, according to the method of controlling the menu display in the conventional microwave oven, since only a newly and currently selected function or menu is displayed onto the display unit whenever the new function or menu has been selected, the user cannot confirm a previously selected function or menu. Therefore, if the user forgets the previously selected function or menu, there is a problem in that he/she should select the menu again from the beginning, which is cumbersome.
Further, if all the buttons for performing the various menus shown in FIG. 3 should be provided in the control panel 7, there is another problem in that the size and production costs of the control panel are increased and are burdens on the manufactures and consumers since the numerous buttons should be provided therein.